2 Timothy 2:20-21

Paul is using a metaphor. Timothy would have immediately understood the many differences between a large house and the small houses that most people lived in. Poor people lived in small houses that did not have anything made of silver or gold in them. All their possessions served a common purpose. They had chamber pots, clay pots for holding food and water, and tools and utensils. They did not have decorative items or items that were intended for artistic purposes.

The contrast between the large houses of the rich and the small houses of the poor is representative of the differences between those who know Christ and those who don’t. Before we met Christ our lives are small. Sadly, most of us did not realize just how small our lives were until after we met him. Expanding our horizons is one of the first things that Christ does in our lives when he becomes our Lord and Savior. Just the presence of the Holy Spirit makes our life bigger. The opportunities and possibilities expand ever increasingly as we respond in obedience to his guidance.

Perhaps not at first, but after walking with Christ for a while, Christians want to be used by God to build his kingdom. However, Christ cannot use us for a special purpose if we are no different than the non-Christians in the world around us. Being different is what it means to be holy. Paul is pointing out to Timothy the role that choices take in making us holy. We will not be any different from the world if we spend our lives living just like the world. If we want God to use us we have to be willing to clear out some worldly influences and replace them with godly ones.

Before God can use us for a special purpose, we have to help him make us holy by changing the focus of our lives from the worldly to the spiritual. To live a big life, we must make big changes.